1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of storage devices for skis. More specifically, the invention relates to ski storage devices which include locks for preventing theft of the skis.
2. Description of Related Art
The recreational sports such as downhill and cross country skiing have increased in popularity in recent times as more individuals and families enjoy increased economic prosperity. Correspondingly, the sales of skis and skiing equipment have also dramatically increased as more and more skiers purchase their own skis and equipment rather than renting them. With more skiers owning their own equipment, there has developed a need for a storage device which can store the skis in an efficient and cost effective manner. This need has been recognized especially since skiing is a seasonal sport and are generally not used year round. Although numerous devices for storing snow skis have been developed in the art it has been found that skis are difficult store securely due to their cumbersome elongated shapes.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,867 to Putt et al. discloses a storage cabinet in which skis may be vertically suspended by the curved tips between two knobs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,335 to White also discloses a device for suspending a pair of skis between two rotating arms. However, because these storage devices have been designed for conventional snow skis, these storage devices as well as other devices known in the art, are inadequate in storing the various types of other snow skis which have a slightly different shape, thickness and width. As ski equipment manufacturers continue to improve and diversify their product lines with additional features to provide superior quality and performance, various skis of different shapes, widths and thicknesses are now commonly used including standard skis, cross country skis, shaped (parabolic) skis, "Fat Boys", ski skates and ski boards, etc. Thus, the prior art storage devices have been found to be inadequate in storing skis of different shapes and dimensions. Furthermore, these prior art storage devices have been found to be inadequate due to the changing needs in the field of ski storage.
In particular, the increase in consumer demand as well as the improved quality and performance of skis have resulted in the increasing prices of such equipment. Correspondingly, theft of such equipment has also increased, especially in higher end expensive ski equipment. The ski storage devices of the '867 patent and the '335 patent do not provide any protection from theft of the skis stored thereon. Also, the skis may be easily removed and taken by a thief.
In response, various devices have been made for lockably securing skis to prevent such thefts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,007 to Chiarot discloses a wall mountable modular ski rack in which the skies are vertically suspended by the curved tips of the skies. The reference further discloses a plug member to retain the skis in the module and that a lock may be used to prevent the removal of the plug member. However, like the devices of the '867 and '355 patents discussed above, the modular ski rack of the '007 patent cannot adequately secure different types of skis noted above which have different shapes and dimensions. Moreover, even when a lock is used with the device of the '007 patent, the skis may still be stolen since the modular ski rack itself can be removed and stolen together with the skis. This is made possible since the mounting bolts which attach the ski rack to an attachment surface are easily accessible and can be easily removed. Thus, the device of '007 patent only offers minimum protection against theft.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,902 to Highberger and U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,049 to Schwendemann et al. disclose devices for securing and for carrying skis along their mid-section including an integral lock. Whereas these devices were primarily designed to secure the skis and allow carrying of the skis, embodiments are disclosed where these devices can be mounted to a fixed structure to allow use as a storage device. These devices are U-shaped brackets and include a swinging arm which can be opened and closed so that the skis can be retained in the U-shaped brackets. However, these devices are also limited in their ability to adequately secure skies having different shapes and dimensions such as their thickness and width dimensions. In addition, these designs have been found to be expensive to manufacture because of their complexity and the uniqueness of the numerous components used. Furthermore, because these designs were made for portable use, they require special and cumbersome bracketing in order to mount them on a surface such as a wall. Moreover, even these devices have exposed mounting bolts and other fasteners which hold the devices together which allows removal of these devices from an attachment surface or allow disassembly thereby allowing a thief to steal the skis stored therein. Therefore, such devices have not gained wide acceptance by consumers for use as ski storage devices.
Therefore, there exists an unfulfilled need for a ski storage device including a lock which will prevent theft of the skis stored therein. There also exists an unfulfilled need for such a ski storage device which cannot be easily removed from an attachment surface when skis are stored. In addition, there exists an unfulfilled need for a ski storage device which will allow storage of skis having different shapes and dimensions. In particular, there exists an unfulfilled need for such a ski storage device which will allow storage of skis having different thicknesses and widths. Moreover, there also exists an unfulfilled need for such a ski storage device which is inexpensive and relatively simple to manufacture.